Sounds like a pretty good place. I think $125 is a little steep, but I train in a garage.

"Aliveness" refers to practice utilizing a resisting partner in an unchoreographed way. Boxing gloves and focus mitts are often a part of live training, but they are also used in cardio kickboxing in ways where they provide resistance but in a very predictible way.

I have read your article and chose this school based on a review found here

Which school? Which review?

I was confused with the "alive" training as the Jun Fan classes use boxing gloves and focus mitts so it seemed to have some resistance

Gloves and mitts don't translate directly to aliveness. Since you've done MA for a few months, you don't need to check out the classes anymore. Instead, watch Matt Thornton's examples with focus mitts and boxing gloves in that video that were and were not alive. Then compare it to what you do in your school.

Aliveness really comes from sparring, rolling, or competing. That doesn't mean struggling 100% of the time, but at least somewhat often.

Anywho, make sure it's fun for you. That's the main thing, at least in my humble opinion.

Those are all good arts, but, speaking as an old newb myself, you'll really want to zero in on a striking art and a grappling art. MT/savate and BJJ/sub wrestling aren't super different, but why not get a basis in one art from each range, and add on later? It's enough trouble having different instructors in the same school in the same art, ler alone toggling between the techniques, philosophies and rulesets of different arts. If you simply have available time unfilled with classes, do conditioning.

Those are all good arts, but, speaking as an old newb myself, you'll really want to zero in on a striking art and a grappling art. MT/savate and BJJ/sub wrestling aren't super different, but why not get a basis in one art from each range, and add on later? It's enough trouble having different instructors in the same school in the same art, ler alone toggling between the techniques, philosophies and rulesets of different arts. If you simply have available time unfilled with classes, do conditioning.

From the classes that you summed up (BJJ, CSW, Savate, Muay thai, Jun fan and FMA), I suspect that the school is part of "The Family" (Guro Dan Inosanto and affiliated schools) network.

I used to train Muay thai, some Generic Muay Boran (new created style) and some Krabi Krabong in one of "The Family" schools here in Belgium.

Would you be so kind to post the complete schedule of the school, because for some reason all the hours that you post fall in Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
That's going to be hard to train 3 days in a row and then 4 days nothing.

About "aliveness", while I agree with Matt Thornton on it and it is an integral part of learning striking and grappling arts.
You still have to take into considering that most weapon based arts are taught and trained the majority of the time through drills with only a minimum of sparring.

Originally Posted by Jiujitsu77

You know you are crazy about BJJ/Martial arts when...

Originally Posted by Humanzee

...your books on Kama Sutra and BJJ are interchangeable.

Originally Posted by jk55299 on Keysi Fighting Method

It looks like this is a great fighting method if someone replaces your shampoo with superglue.

About "aliveness", while I agree with Matt Thornton on it and it is an integral part of learning striking and grappling arts.
You still have to take into considering that most weapon based arts are taught and trained the majority of the time through drills with only a minimum of sparring.

Good weapon drilling should have elements of aliveness even if its not free sparring though.